The United Nations Office at Geneva
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HRC 61 - Human Rights in DPRK and Venezuela - 16 March 2026
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19:41
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MP4
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1.3 GB
Presentation of the High Commissioner's oral updates on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the Human Rights Council
Statements by:
• Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
• Marisela del Valle Rojas Garmendia, Minister-Counsellor, Permanent Mission of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the UN Office at Geneva (country concerned)
The video includes three audio tracks: first track Interlingua (= floor), second track English, third track Spanish
Teleprompter
Muchas Gracias, Senor Visa Presidente, Distinguished delegates, Since my last update, the population of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has been subjected to further repression and isolation.
Fundamental rights are severely curtailed, including freedom of expression, the right to information, freedom of movement, as well as access to food and health care.
Families of the disappeared in the Republic of Korea, Japan and other countries continue to seek answers from the DPRK without success.
Separate families cannot contact each other.
People who are forcibly repatriated to the DPRK are subjected to serious human rights violations and prolonged detention.
I again urge all governments to stop forcibly repatriating DPRK nationals.
The 9th Congress of the Workers Party of Korea held last month prioritised economic development but with an increased focus on military capabilities.
Security built solely around military strength is fragile and risks escalating conflict.
It also leads to violations of human rights, as we see in the DPRK, from from repression and forced labour to the diversion of resources that are desperately needed for social services and sustainable development.
Real security comes through meaningful engagement, dialogue and cooperation grounded in respect for human rights and international law.
As I highlighted last September, there are pathways for the DPRK to engage with the human rights ecosystem to build trust and confidence towards lasting peace.
We therefore encourage the DPRK's participation in international human rights mechanisms, most recently with the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in August 2025.
Mr Vice President, I regret to say that accountability for the grave violations in DPRK we need, which in some, in some cases may amount to crimes against humanity, is extremely limited.
There has been no progress on referring the situation in the DPRK to the International Criminal Court, nor were any criminal investigations opened over the past year.
In other jurisdictions.
However, there has been progress on forms of accountability led by victims, and my office is central to this work.
Our team in Seoul collects analysis and preserves evidence for use in current and future accountability processes.
Our work has been used by plaintiffs and courts, most recently in January of this year when the Tokyo District Court held the DPRK government responsible for human rights violations suffered by 4 victims and awarded damages.
As some of these crimes recede into the past, it is even more urgent to document their physical, psychological and socio economic consequences for victims and their families.
Over the past year we have worked to realise victims rights in several different ways.
We interviewed 120 escapees and analysed the testimony of over 300 more who escaped over the past decade.
We held hundreds of consultations with individuals and with victims groups.
We provided technical assistance to victims associations on non judicial forms of accountability, including reparations and truth telling initiatives.
We also supported these groups in submitting information to the special procedure bodies of this Council, and we raised the profile of the human rights situation in the DPRK and increased public understanding by holding several public sessions where victims testified in the presence of diplomats and the international media.
I fully acknowledge that these steps are insufficient compared with the scale of the violations, but for individual victims, they can mean everything.
Never underestimate the value of enabling people to tell their stories, creating a permanent record of their suffering and public publicly acknowledging them as victims.
Mr Vice President, we have produced 24 reports on the situation in the DPRK since the Commission of Inquiry reported to this Council in 2014.
They are a litany of repression that goes back decades.
It is imperative that the situation in the DPRK remains firmly on the on the agenda of the of the international community, including this Council.
I urge States to seek a referral to the ICC and to exercise extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction.
Our repository of evidence is at the disposal of judicial authorities for use in fair and independent proceedings.
States can also support initiatives for engagement towards the goals of improving the human rights situation, ending isolation and advancing the cause of peace on the Korean Peninsula.
I encourage your financial and political support for the human rights and accountability efforts of my office and our team in Seoul.
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Mr Vice President, distinguished delegates, now I'm providing my update on Venezuela and since my last update to this Council, the situation in Venezuela has been dominated by the US military intervention on the 3rd of January and it's aftermath.
In response to that intervention, the Venezuelan authorities declared a state of emergency.
The security forces and armed civilian groups reportedly used this as the basis for intrusive measures, contributing to a climate of fear among the population.
I urge the authorities to reassess the decree to ensure its necessity and proportionality.
At the same time, the Venezuelan authorities have moved to correct some of the wrongs of the past.
A new amnesty law was adopted on 19th of February, but I regret that it was drafted without adequate consultation across society.
According to the authorities, some 7700 people have been released unconditionally under the law.
My office has requested the official list of those released as well as unfettered access to several detention centres, but so far without success.
I urge greater transparency regarding the release of detainees.
We have confirmed that since my last update, some 950 people who were arbitrarily detained have been released, some under strict conditions, including human rights defenders, political figures, journalists and trade unionists.
Prominent figures among those released include Javier Tarazan, Tarazona, Eduardo Torres, Kennedy Tejeda, Carlos Julio Rojas and Rosio San Miguel.
While I share the relief of those who have been freed and their loved ones, they should never have been detained in the 1st place.
I hope this practise ceases forever and that the authorities adopt measures to uphold freedom of opinion, including the defence of human rights.
Some 60 prisoners have been able to receive visits from their relatives or communicate with them, whereas previously there had been no information on their whereabouts.
Mr Vice President, throughout this.
Structural and systemic human rights concerns have persisted.
My office has received information about the continued torture and mistreatment of detainees, including in the Rodeo 1 and Fuerte Kua Kai Puro centres, which is deeply concerning.
Many Venezuelans are still arbitrarily detained, including people with disabilities and critical health conditions, older people and at least one child.
Civic space remains restricted.
Years of repression mean that people fear speaking out.
The NGO oversight law still hinders civil society's ability to work safely and freely and needs to be repealed.
I hope that the announced review of the constitutional law against hatred will mean that it is no longer used to suppress dissent.
Mr Vice President, Venezuelans continue to face significant challenges in accessing healthcare, water and sanitation services and food.
People in the country are protesting against low salaries which are insufficient to meet their basic needs.
Accordingly, I urge the authorities to ensure full respect for freedom of peaceful assembly.
Indigenous peoples still face severe restrictions in accessing their right to health which contributes to high mortality rates.
There has been no progress on the self demarcation of their territories in store.
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Mr Vice President, Venezuelans are feeling a mix of hope, fear and uncertainty.
Human rights must guide the path ahead, and I would like to highlight five key areas for action.
First, the authorities need to release all those who are still arbitrarily detained immediately and unconditionally.
2nd, protecting and expanding civic space.
This is essential to repairing the social fabric and strengthening democratic processes.
I urge the authorities to enable civil society to work freely, to guarantee their participation in public affairs and to protect NGOs, journalists, union members and human rights defenders against threats and attacks.
Third, structural reforms to the justice and security sectors.
This includes dismantling the legal frameworks and practises that have enabled oppression of political dissent.
Such reforms are key to ensuring access to justice and rebuilding trust in institutions.
The government also needs to disarm and disband armed civilian groups who have intimidated and exercised control over people.
4th Ensuring and expanding access to healthcare, food, work and basic services.
I urge the authorities to guarantee adequate salaries, pensions and other Social Security measures to cover basic needs and to renew their commitment to labour rights.
They also need to demonstrate greater than transparency with official statistics on the labour market, food security and access to health and education.
This is essential to building trust.
Finally, Venezuelans need to come together and agree on a comprehensive transitional justice strategy.
Venezuelan society remains deeply polarised.
Healing those divisions requires accountability for all the serious human rights violations committed over the past decades.
This in turn requires that all evidence is preserved even if detention facilities are closed down.
Other important steps include institutional reform, reparations, establishing the truth and guarantees that serious human rights violations are not repeated.
These human rights based confidence building measures would pave the way for the safe and dignified return of the millions of Venezuelans outside the country.
I also urge the authorities to cooperate with all human rights and accountability mechanisms, including the independent International Fact Finding Mission on Venezuela established by this Council, and I encourage the authorities to reverse their decision to leave the International Criminal Court.
I have engaged with the Venezuelan authorities at the highest level, sharing my observations and my office's willingness to support this.
I welcome the decision of the authorities on the 3rd of March to grant visas to my staff.
We will need a sustained presence to implement my office's full mandate in support of human rights in the country.
At this critical juncture, the country's future must be decided by its people alone.
The authorities, the opposition within and outside Venezuela and all those with political responsibilities need to unite around human rights and put the people of their country first.
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